


Ghost in the Halls

by 12lavendertruffles



Category: Baldi's Basics (Video Game)
Genre: AU of sorts??, Baldi is scary but not really, Crying, Gen, Power Outage, Protagonist is so done, rumors of a ghost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:14:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/12lavendertruffles/pseuds/12lavendertruffles
Summary: A power outage and a request from the Bully sends you on a quest through the darkened halls of Here School.
Relationships: Baldi & Protagonist (Baldi's Basics), Baldi (Baldi's Basics) & Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Ghost in the Halls

The sound of raindrops pelting against the windows played like static in the back of your mind. The dark grey tones of the sky almost matched the room's own muted, dull color perfectly.

  
It was near the end of another school day at Here School, and the rain had been nonstop. You sat at your desk in Math Class, aware of the disapproving looks the teacher had been throwing your way while you daydreamed. Still, Mr. Baldi continued observing the rest of the class with a pleasant smile.

  
_I'm definitely not his favorite,_ you thought to yourself, _My friend called in sick today... lucky them._

  
Everyone praised Mr. Baldi for his excellent teaching skills, and you've never seen him lay a finger on a student. Still, you've seen his temperamental side, and he always has that damn ruler in his hands. You've heard rumors of him using it on students when they misbehave, and he took full advantage of that stern reputation. A simple _swat!_ against his desk was all it took to get an unruly class to settle down, and it made you cringe every time.

  
Every time you saw that ruler in his hands or in arms reach, you wondered if those rumors might be true.

  
Today however, the ruler was nowhere to be seen, and your teacher was being much more patient than usual. Your conclusion was that the Principal finally had a talk with the teacher about his... peculiar methods.

  
Pushing the thought from your mind, your eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. You found the seconds ticking by to be more riveting than the paper on your desk. You couldn't wait for school to be over, couldn't wait to go home and be out of the green-clad teacher's line of sight. Even in the pouring rain. Just as you decided to make a futile attempt to focus on your test, the lights started flickering...

  
Off...

back on...

  
and finally off.

  
Every student in class shot their heads up, and you looked around to observe everyone's reaction. Seated next to you, a girl in a red dress bounced anxiously, head darting around as if looking for an invisible threat. You weren't used to seeing her like this, she's usually so cheery and carefree.

  
A couple seats over, you saw the school Bully, who ducked his head low under his desk and appeared to be shaking. Quite a change from his demeanor in the halls, and even in class he was the more 'brazen' of the bunch, probably coming the closest to ever receiving one of Mr. Baldi's world famous whackings. Yes, you definitely weren't used to seeing _him_ like this. You couldn't help cracking a smirk in the safety of the near-darkness.

  
In the back row, you turned to see the artsy kid, who had taken the seat as far away from you as possible. He was characteristically quiet, but unusually unresponsive to the situation at hand, as if trying to play it cool.

  
_Now that I think about it, have I met any other kids in this school?_

  
With the light from the window, you could see things well enough- but decided that Mr. Baldi was definitely creepier looking in the dark, his beady eyes and red lips set in an unreadable expression.

  
"What happened?!" the girl finally cried out.

  
"Calm down, everyone," Mr. Baldi raised his hands to the class. He walked over to the windows and peered outside. "Looks like the storm has gotten worse. A power line must have been knocked down."

  
"Aren't we supposed to have a backup generator?" You asked the teacher against your better judgement.

  
Mr. Baldi simply looked towards you with realization on his face, "You're right! I wonder why it's not coming on?"

  
He walked back to his desk and rummaged through a drawer for something- a flashlight. "I'm going to go get the Principal. Everyone stay here until I get back." Mr. Baldi walked past his students with flashlight in hand, out into the hallway. It didn't take long for the Bully to regain his usual attitude, now that an authority figure was no longer in the room.

  
He leaned over his desk to get your attention, "Hey... do you have any Zesty Bars on you?"

  
"No." You answered curtly, "I seem to remember you taking all mine today."

  
"Man... I haven't eaten since lunch. You don't have any more in your bag?" The Bully asked as if he was completely innocent.

  
You simply huffed and pulled your backpack up, shuffling through the insides and holding it open for emphasis. "Nothing."

  
"What about your locker?" He pressed on.

  
"I'm not going out there, you heard what he said," You said defiantly, not keen on getting on Mr. Baldi's bad side any more than you have. "Don't you have your own stash somewhere?"

  
"Come on. Consider it early payment for tomorrow." The Bully referred to his self-run business of charging students for passage in the halls with candy bars and other goods.

  
You and the Bully stared each other down for a moment, his resolve clearly not giving way any time soon. Finally you caved, more out of frustration than trying to please him. At least it meant getting away from him for a moment. The Bully simply sat there with a satisfied smile on his face.

  
"FINE." You huffed, but as you got up to leave, the girl in the red dress grabbed the edge of your sleeve.

  
"Don't go!" She begged.

  
"I promise I won't get caught."

  
"Not that! It's... the school is haunted!"

  
"What?" You looked at her incredulously, but her face was written with sincere fear and concern.

  
"A few days ago, I was playing jump rope in the halls, and I tripped. I never trip! When I looked up, there was a ghost behind me!"

  
"You've seen it too, right?" the girl turned and asked the Bully. The Bully looked away with a scoff, trying to hide any indication of fear on his face.

  
"Please, a ghost? Don't be stupid. There's no such thing as ghosts."

  
_If there's no such thing then why were you shaking,_ you thought cheekily to yourself, but dared not to say out loud. Your amused expression wasn't lost on the Bully though, and he stared darts in return.

  
You weren't sure what to make of the girl's fantastical statement. Honestly, you were never sure what went through her mind, but she seemed convinced and you didn't want to dismiss this as her active imagination.

  
"I'll be fine, don't worry. I won't let a ghost get me, okay?" You said to her. "...and you probably shouldn't be jump-roping in the halls at all."

  
"But... but...!" She tried to argue.

  
"I promise I'll be okay." With that, the girl let go of your shirt and you went on your way out of the classroom, ignoring the Bully's piercing glare. As you passed by the artsy kid, you noticed his expression was now more one of fright. Probably shaken up by all this ghost nonsense.

  
When you exited the classroom, you realized it was significantly darker in the halls. It was going to be difficult finding your locker this way. With a drawn out sigh at your stupidity and the absurd situation you found yourself in, you headed back into the classroom and started shuffling through your backpack.

  
"What's the holdup?" The Bully asked impatiently.

  
"I can't see out there. I need... there it is." You held up a pocket flashlight, flicking the little switch on and off. The one time it finally comes in handy. You pointed the flashlight at the Bully as you stood up to leave again. "You owe me, especially if Mr. Baldi catches me."

  
"Whatever." The Bully crossed his arms with a stubborn face. The girl only looked on nervously as you left the room once again. You caught a glimpse of the artsy kid, who was now doodling something in one of his notebooks in what limited light he had.

  
Back in the halls, flashlight pointed ahead, you started towards the direction of your locker-

  
And stopped.

  
At the end of the hall, just peeking out from the corner, you saw a figure standing there. At first you thought it was the Principal, but something was... off? The silhouette seemed... incomplete.

  
Whoever or whatever it was stared back at you with one eye, before quickly disappearing around the corner.

  
You stood still in your spot, unsure of what to think. You remembered the girl's story, but the Bully was right... there's no such thing as ghosts, right? Still, you didn't recognize this person. What if it was an intruder who took advantage of the power going out, and snuck into the school? You thought you should probably tell someone, but didn't want to get in trouble for disobeying Mr. Baldi's orders. You also didn't want to face the Bully's wrath for not retrieving his precious candy bar.

  
Mind hurdling through quandary after quandary, you ignored basic logic and pressed forward in the direction of the unknown figure, in the direction of your locker. You just wanted to be done with this, and as you rounded the corner cautiously...

  
There was no one.

  
Thankful but trepidatious, you continued down this particular hall in search of your locker.

  
_Was my locker always this far from the classroom?_ You thought to yourself as you rounded the next corner. All you could make out was plain, grey walls and red lockers.

  
_**"DON'T... NEVER COME BACK-"** _

  
You jumped and whipped around, pointing the flashlight in all directions around you. That was _definitely_ someone's voice, and it sounded far too close for your liking. Willing your feet to move in your petrified state, you moved down the hallway at a much quicker pace than before.

  
_I should go back. This isn't worth it. This isn't worth-_

  
As you hit a fork in the halls, your quickly beating heart nearly jumped out of your throat when you came upon a sight that stopped you in your tracks- The abomination known as _1st Prize,_ creeping out from the hall to your right.

  
This was the last thing you needed right now. You remembered this contraption from last year's Science Fair. The kid who made it aptly but obnoxiously gave it the title of "1st Prize", absolutely certain it would win. It was designed as a hugging machine, and after the fair it stayed at school in an unused classroom. The creepy part was that it would sometimes activate by itself, and somehow find its way into the halls.

  
1st Prize rotated slowly in your direction, sensing your presence. You knew what was to come if you didn't act fast. You darted around the machine and sprinted down the hallway behind it, hoping to evade its detection.

  
After a good minute of running for your life, you looked back and sighed in relief as nothing was chasing you. You started to wonder if that voice you heard belonged to 1st Prize, the mechanical distortion being the only thing you remembered about it.

  
Giving yourself a chance to calm down, you realized you almost forgot why you were here in the first place. You looked around with your flashlight, but couldn't make out any distinctive features in the hallway you currently stood in.

  
_I thought I knew this school well. Where the heck am I?_

  
**_"PL-PLEASE... GO BACK..."_ **

  
You froze as you heard the voice from before once again. You looked around helplessly, convinced that this voice clearly did not belong to 1st Prize. Stomach heavy with dread and heart pounding in your ears, you started running again with no goal but to get as far away as possible, and hopefully back to the classroom.

  
You didn't care anymore, didn't care how it made you look in the moment, and you cried. You cried and cried down the halls, shouting for anyone who could hear you. You didn't know where you were and the fear and hopelessness was overwhelming.

  
You cried harder and ran faster as you were certain you heard footsteps behind you, getting closer and closer.

  
It was all a blur until finally, you hit a dead end. You panted and felt your head throb with every pulse. A hand reached out to touch your shoulder, and you screamed at the top of your lungs.

  
Batting it away with flying hands, you whipped around and were almost blinded by a familiar light before you finally got a look at your pursuer- Mr. Baldi.

  
You screamed again.

  
The teacher held his hands over his sensitive ears. When you were done, he finally spoke, "What are you doing out here? I told you to stay put. The rest of the class is worried about you."

  
You only looked up at him wordlessly, sniffling and snotty with hot tears still streaming down your face. Mr. Baldi turned down his flashlight and inched closer to get a better look at you.

  
"Hey, what's wrong?" He bent down to your level and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder again.

  
You weren't sure how to answer his question. One, how do you tell an adult that you heard a ghost and be taken seriously? Two, you never pictured that Mr. Baldi of all people would be trying to console you. Maybe the Principal, but not Baldi. You expected a winded reprimand rather than the patient attention he was giving you.

  
Somewhat regaining your composure under your teacher's stare, you wiped your dripping face with your arm and took a few deep breaths.

  
"I... I heard a ghost... and I got scared... and I ran." You admitted quietly, eyes pointed to the floor. You felt 4 years old all over again.

  
Mr. Baldi hummed in thought. "A ghost? I don't know about that... I _have_ felt something strange in this school... mainly in my office."

  
You looked up at Mr. Baldi's face, a mix of emotions running through your head. He simply smiled at you and said, "But I know whatever it is, it's not going to hurt you, okay?" He gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing up and motioning for you to follow close by his side.

  
"You were gone for so long, I was sent to look for you," Mr. Baldi said as you exited the hall side by side, his hand not leaving your shoulder. He seemed to know where he was going. "It's a teacher's job to look out for their students."

  
That was definitely something you never thought you'd hear out of Mr. Baldi's mouth.

  
"We'll talk about your punishment for leaving class later."

  
That's more like it.

  
You looked back over your shoulder and saw nothing, much to your relief. Still, you held on just a little tighter to Mr. Baldi's shirt. Just then, the dark halls around you filled with fluorescent light once more. "Ah, they must have got the generator working!" Baldi said happily.

  
It wasn't long before you reached the classroom. You thought for sure you ran a longer distance than that, but didn't think much of it as you were thankful just to be somewhere relatively safe after that nightmare scenario.

  
Inside, you saw the Principal sitting in a chair by Baldi's desk. The Bully had perked up upon your arrival, and immediately started questioning you.

  
"Hey, did you get my Zesty Bar?" He looked at your hands and frowned when he saw nothing.

  
_Crap... I forgot. I don't want to tell him I was too busy running from a ghost-_

  
"No eating in class." The Principal said plainly and looked the Bully's way. With that, the Bully promptly dropped the issue and sunk back into his desk with a huff, defeated.

  
You sighed in relief, but jumped again when you spotted 1st Prize in the corner- and then realized that it was powered down. Someone must have found it in the halls and brought it in.

  
Mr. Baldi lightly patted you on the back and ushered you into the room, and headed over by himself to talk with the Principal. Hopefully not about you.

  
You smiled when you saw the girl and the artsy kid sitting together in the back row, doodling and sharing their drawings with each other. You approached them and the girl beamed at the sight of you. She was so engrossed in drawing, she didn't notice your entrance.

  
"You're okay! I was worried that the ghost got you!" she jumped to hug you tightly.

  
"I'm fine. I just got lost in the halls." You said, hoping she wouldn't notice your red eyes. You didn't want to lie to her, but didn't want to fuel more of her fears either. Then you suddenly remembered your teacher's words.

  
"But, about the ghost..." You started, "You don't have to be afraid of it. It's not going to hurt you."

  
"How do you know?" She looked at you with wide eyes.

  
"Mr. Baldi told me so." You smiled at her. Apparently, that was enough to convince her, and she didn't ask anymore questions. She simply smiled back and let you go.

  
She returned to her spot next to the artsy kid, and you took the seat next to her. The artsy kid nodded at you and looked away bashfully. It didn't feel like he was trying to be rude.

  
"Look what I did!" the girl grabbed one of the pictures she drew, and turned it over excitedly to show you. Your blood went cold.

  
It was of herself playing jump rope. But next to her, you saw a taller man with a red shirt and blue jeans. He had no arms or feet or face, only one normal eye with the other blacked out.

  
It looked an awful lot like the apparition you saw in the halls.

**Author's Note:**

> .....Hi. This is a story I actually wrote back in 2018 while the power was out (ha) but I've never posted it anywhere. I went back and touched up some parts until I felt it was presentable. This is an AU I guess where Baldi is a very firm and intimidating teacher, but is more bark than bite and is trying to be more approachable.
> 
> I don't write very much so I always appreciate feedback! This is also my first time posting to the Archive, so let me know if the formatting looks weird.


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